Drum head tightener device



DRUM HEAD TIGHTENER DEVICE Original Filed March 18, 1955 ATTORNEY.

Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRUM HEAD TIGHTENER DEVICE Ralph H. Hiers, Granville, Mass, assignor to Noble and Cooley Company, Granville, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in tightening devices and is directed more particularly to an improved device for tightening the heads or diaphragms of a drum or the like.

This application is a division of an application Serial No. 661,446, filed by me on March 18, 1933, and maturing into Patent No. 1,995,056, March 19, 1935.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of a novel tightening device for tensioning the head or diaphragm of a drum which is not only simple in form, and therefore economical to manufacture, but which is efficient and positive in its operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a tightening or tensioning device which is so arranged that the tension on the drum head may be slackened at will and which is so associated with the drum that it will not become readily displaced or moved appreciably from its desired position even though not serving its tensioning function.

It is a fact that the heads, or diaphragms as they are sometimes called, of drums are inherently susceptible to changes in temperature and other climatic conditions. That is to say, they are usually formed of material which by its very nature shrinks and expands accordingly as the temperature changes and they therefore must be stretched or slackened in order to meet existing conditions. The device of this invention is intended and adapted to serve these functions.

One may often desire to relieve the tension on the drum head when the drum is to be put in storage or is to be moved from one place to another. According to this invention, the tightening device is held in place on the hoops of the drum regardless of whether or not it is adjusted for the tensioning or tightening function.

Various other novel objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully hereinafter referred to in connection with the following description of the preferred form of the invention and reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view on a small scale of a drum structure having a plurality of the tightening devices of the invention associated therewith; and

Fig 2 is an elevational view of one of the tight ening devices embodying the novel features of the invention, showing how it is associated with the hoops of a drum.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

As is well-known, a drum of usual construction has a cylindrical shell and hoops at the upper and lower ends thereof. In Fig. 2 a shell is represented at S and hoops at H. A diaphragm or head, represented at D, is associated with at 5 least one of the hoops and shell as shown.

It may be here stated that the diaphragm or head of a drum of usual manufacture is prefer ably made of some more or less resilient material which may be stretched to a sufficiently taut l0 condition. It is to tension this head that the device of this invention is directed.

It seems obvious that such a head may be tightened by moving the upper and lower hoops H towards one another axially of the shells. Also when it is desired to relieve the head of tension, the hoops H may be allowed to separate or at least they are relieved of pressure.

It is desired to here point out that the device of the invention is particularly adapted for use with a drum having hoops H and heads D at upper and lower ends of a shell, but the device may he used with a drum having a head and a hoop at one end only of the shell.

The tensioning device of the invention will now be described.

A relatively rigid rod member I0 01' some suitably stiff material, such as steel, is provided to extend substantially parallel with the side of the shell S as shown. The rod [0 has one end portion, such as the lower end portion, hooked inwardly as at 12. This is adapted to hook over the lower hoop H or the lower end of the shell S.

It is desired to point out that this hooked end portion is an intgeral part of the rod member I0 but it may vary in form and shape. In any event, the rod ID from tip to tip is of greater length than the height of the shell for a reason which will presently appear.

The rod member It! has its opposite end portion, such as the upper end portion, threaded as at M. This is for threadedly receiving a nut l5, which preferably is in the form of a wing nut as shown.

A hook member I6 is removably provided on the rod and it preferably consists of a substantially horizontally disposed body portion [8, and a hooked part 20 which extends inwardly from the horizontally disposed portion l8. The part 18 is apertured so as to be slidable on the rod and the portion 20 is adapted to hook over the upper hoop H or the upper end of the shell S.

Means is provided to yieldingly urge the hook [6 towards the hook l2 and this may consist of a coil spring 22 which surrounds the rod l0 and is hook it. The spring 22 is preferably not connected to either the nut I or the hook it.

The actuating member 22 is, of course, resilient so that when the nut l 5 is turned in the tightening direction, it presses on the spring so as to yieldingly urge the hook it downwardly. When the spring 22 is so compressed that its adjacent convolutions are in abutment it becomes a relatively rigid tube-like member bearing on the part is.

When it is desired to relieve the tension of the diaphragm, the nut i5 is turned in an opposite direction. This allows the spring 22 to expand or open up and the hook is at all times subjected to a yielding pressure. Thus, it may be seen, the

yielding pressure on the hook l5 may be varied at will yet the hooks are held against slipping around the hoops and becoming displaced.

The device of this invention is simple in form and comprises but a few parts. This makes for economy in manufacture and efficiency in operation. The device may be readily assembled and, as pointed out above, is not liable to become displaced from the drum once it has become associated therewith.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to a preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope. of the invention. What it is desired to disposed between the nut l5 and the part l 8 of claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: y

In a drum structure, the combination with spaced upper and lower relatively movable members thereof of a device for adjusting the tension of a drum-head comprising, a vertically-disposed unitary rod member of relatively rigid material having its upper end portion screw-threaded and its lower end portion bent inwardly to forma hook, said hook being in engagement with said lower movable member, a unitary hook member including a body portion provided with an aperture through which said rod extends whereby the hook member is slidable on the rod and a hook portion extending inwardly from said body portion, said hook portion being in engagement with said upper movable member whereby the downward sliding movements of said hook member are limited by the downward movement of said upper movable member, a coil spring surrounding said rod adjacent the upper side of said body portion of the hook member, and a nut threaded on said screw-threaded end portion of the rod above the upper side of said spring and movable dovmwardiy on said rod towards said hook member, all adapted and arranged whereby downward movement of said nut causes said spring to be compressed between the nut and hook member and move the rod axially of said spring so that the spring yieldingly acts on said hook member.

RALPH H. HIERS. 

